How Note-Taking Solidifies Learning Outcomes

College is a fresh new chapter in your life. You’ve moved into your dorm, received your schedule and packed your backpack. You are mentally ready for your first day, but have you taken all the steps that will prepare you to succeed?

Every class is different, and each teacher uses a unique instructional style. But there’s one thing you can consistently do that will solidify your success at school — note-taking!

Continue reading to learn about the effects of note-taking and what strategies you can implement from day one.

Why Is Note-Taking Vital to Your Success?

Maybe you’re wondering how making notes can be so vital to your success at college. Does taking notes help you learn? As it turns out, there are many benefits to partaking in this practice. Here are five effects of note-taking.

1. Increases Engagement

Note-taking requires you to concentrate during class. You’ll be less likely to fall asleep during the lecture if you are busy taking notes. With increased engagement, you’ll have an easier time comprehending the information and noting any confusing topics.

Professors can tell which students are interested and engaged, which can also boost your participation grade.

2. Improves Recall

Note-taking improves your ability to recall the information you’ve learned in class. To write useful notes, you must comprehend and paraphrase the concepts taught in each lesson. By recording this information, you efficiently engage with the material, making it easier to remember during exam time.

Studies show hand-writing your notes is more effective than typing them on a keyboard, and reviewing them daily will strengthen note-taking benefits.

3. Makes Connections

Good note-taking skills build comprehension and help students make connections between varied concepts. When you take notes, your brain naturally links various ideas. In math, theories frequently build on each other. For instance, you need to understand algebra before you can connect those ideas to calculus. By taking notes on what you learn, it’s easier to see how everything ties together in a subject.

4. Aids in Studying

Typically, you create notes based on your professor’s lecture. The material covered in class rarely follows the textbook verbatim, and therefore your notes become a useful study guide. You can use them to highlight crucial material and emphasize topics you want to review. In many ways, they’re a personalized resource that will help focus your attention.

It’s quite common for teachers to give hints about upcoming exams during class, and notes help you remember this information.

5. Creates Life Skills

You’ll use your note-taking skills long after you graduate from college. Note-taking affects the way you comprehend information. It encourages you to focus on what’s essential and summarize crucial points — both of which are vital in adult life. These skills are useful in the workplace and at home.

You’ll need to remain organized as you navigate personal finances and life ambitions — and the best way to do that is to take notes as you go! Without reinforcement, we naturally forget the things we learn in a short period.

How to Become an Expert Note-Taker

Now that you know more about the benefits of note-taking, you can see how becoming an expert in this skill is in your best interest. Note-taking strategies quickly concentrate your efforts so you can record ideas effectively. Here are five strategies to get you started.

1. Start With the Correct Materials

You’ll gain more from note-taking when you write the information by hand. Bring a pen or pencil and paper to every class. If you feel writing longhand is too slow, try typing your notes and copying them onto paper after class. Keep in mind most teachers don’t allow phone use in class, so you shouldn’t plan to record notes on your smartphone.

2. Experiment With Various Styles

Everyone learns differently, and your note-taking style should reflect what works best for you. If you are a visual learner, you may want to sketch concepts in your notebook. Other people may prefer mind mapping, which involves drawing diagrams to link words and ideas.

If you are unsure where to begin, try a basic note-taking style using headings and bullet points.

3. Remain Concise

The purpose of note-taking isn’t to regurgitate every word your professor says onto a piece of paper. You should be actively reshaping those ideas into your words. Try to remain as concise as possible and paraphrase the main ideas. Use abbreviations and symbols to simplify your text and increase your writing speed.

4. Use Clever Formatting

When writing your notes, you are in charge of the formatting. Feel confident bolding or underlining text. Jot down questions and write question marks next to any topics that confuse you.

Regardless of your note-taking style, remember to label each page with the date and page number to keep things organized.

5. Include References

You’ll likely be covering a new chapter each class, or sometimes multiple chapters in a week. Including references will help you keep track of which notes correspond to each chapter. If you list specific pages or paragraphs, it will simplify studying.

Note-Taking Can Guide Your Future

College is expensive — so you need to maximize your time at school. Note-taking solidifies learning outcomes, helping you become a better student. Use the strategies in this guide to reap the benefits of this habit. If you’re feeling challenged in a course, review and reflect on your notes. The answer may be within your grasp.